An 18 year-old man, Raiden K. Hagedorn, was arrested in Highland Park, IL for breaking into Michael Jordan’s estate.
LMCS reports:
Police arrested and charged a Mundelein man after receiving a burglary in progress call at Michael Jordan’s seven-acre estate in Highland Park Tuesday.
Residents reported seeing numerous Highland Park police officers responding with emergency lights activated around 4:10 p.m. Tuesday.
Officers arrested Raiden K. Hagedorn, 18, of Mundelein, in connection with the incident, according to a police report.
Hagedorn was charged with criminal trespass to occupied residence and two counts of criminal damage to property. All three charges are misdemeanors.
Three years ago, up and coming New York rapper Pop Smoke was killed during a home invasion in Hollywood Hills. Rumors circulated that accidentally showing his address on social media hours earlier led to his untimely demise.
One of the underaged invaders has just been sentenced to four years in a Youth Treatment Center.
LA Times reports:
A 20-year-old charged in the killing of Pop Smoke pleaded guilty in juvenile court Thursday, admitting he entered a Hollywood Hills mansion as a teenager in February 2020 intending to rob the rapper, who was shot to death in a struggle with his assailants.
The defendant pleaded guilty in an Inglewood courtroom to voluntary manslaughter and home invasion robbery; he was the first to admit guilt of four defendants charged in the death of Pop Smoke, whose real name was Bashar Barakah Jackson.
Judge J. Christopher Smith sentenced the defendant to four years and two months in the Secure Youth Treatment Facility but warned he could remain in juvenile custody until he was 25. The judge declined to apply the two years and eight months he has already spent in juvenile hall toward his sentence.
Three others are charged in Jackson’s death: two juvenile defendants, 15 and 17 at the time of the homicide, and Corey Walker, who was 19. A judge has issued a court order barring the media from identifying the juvenile defendants.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Hilary Williams told a judge at a hearing in August that the defendant who pleaded guilty Thursday was no minor participant in the crime: He scouted the mansion, helped Walker recruit three other juveniles to rob Jackson and, after entering the home, remained in “constant communication” with Walker, who waited in the getaway car.
From a wiretap on his phone, detectives learned he’d committed other robberies, Williams added.
Martin Lijtmaer, the attorney for the defendant who pleaded guilty Thursday, argued his client was intellectually disabled, sparking a years-long series of examinations and hearings over his competency to stand trial.
Jody Ward, a psychologist who examined the defendant on behalf of the prosecution, testified in August that he appeared to be faking the disability.
After he was arrested, the defendant showed a familiarity with the judicial process that belied his alleged disability, Ward testified. He planned with his cellmate — a plant for the police, who were secretly recording the conversation — how to glean information from detectives without giving anything up himself, Ward said.
“OJ was able to beat his case even though there was blood on his socks,” he told his cellmate, according to Ward. But if all else failed, “I still got that Regional Center s—,” he said, a reference to the facility where he’d been diagnosed as disabled.
After handing down the sentence, Smith addressed the defendant. “I don’t know how you and your friends even came to the idea to rob someone, someone whose life was taken unnecessarily.”
The judge noted the defendant will one day return to his family. “Mr. Jackson is not. His life is done because of what you and your friends did. You owe. You owe.”
Rapper Cardi B just revealed she’s still earning “millions” of dollars from her debut album, Invasion of Privacy.
The Bronx beauty celebrated with her team who congratulated her on the success of the fifth anniversary of her Grammy-winning debut LP.
In a video posted to her Instagram Stories, Cardi is seen in the studio with her producer, J. White Did It, and engineer, Evan LaRay, as she reacts to receiving a bottle of wine, strawberry-laced cupcakes and a cake reading: “Happy 5th Anniversary!”
“What my team got me, guys!” Cardi exclaims in the clip. “Yeah! Five years! I’m still getting booked for millions of dollars with one muthafuckin’ album, bitch! Yeah, wassup? Ain’t nobody can tell me nothing,” she adds with a laugh.
On this date in 1987, Philly’s most celebrated Hip Hop duo released their first album.
Famed rapper and actor Will Smith, also known as “The Fresh Prince” and his hilarious on-and-off-screen partner Jeff Townes aka DJ Jazzy Jeff, dropped their first project on the Jive/RCA imprint.
As two of the pioneers of Philly Hip Hop, Dj Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince were the first artists from the “City of Brotherly Love” to perform at the coveted Union Square, which prompted the live title track. They were there during a time when if you were wack, not only did you get booed, but the Brooklyn kids would end up leaving the Square with something you came there with. “Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble” was a storytelling anthem that was only rivaled by the likes of the great Slick Rick. This ten-track LP was just the tip of the iceberg of what this dynamic duo had in store for them in their future.
Salute to Jazzy Jeff, Will Smith and Ready Rock C for this classic piece of Hip Hop history!
A couple of dreadheaded backpackers made stuttering rhymes chic when Krayz Drayz and Skoob came together and dropped their Dead Serious album April 7, 1992.
Released on the East/West imprint and recorded in both the famed Firehouse Studios in Brooklyn and North Shore Soundworks in Long Island, Dead Serious became a platinum selling album in just two years, revering it as one of the most influential LPs of the “Golden Era”.
The hit singles “They Want Efx” and “Mic Checka” were both forces to be reckoned with on the Billboard charts, while the virtually production of Chris Charity and Derek Lynch aka “Solid Scheme” ensured the consistent output of quality music for Das EFX until Charity’s untimely passing in 2000.
The Brooklyn, NY/Teaneck, NJ duo met in college at Virginia State University and became a part of EPMD‘s “Hit Squad” collective in just two years after their initial meeting with EPMD and never looked back. Salute to Drayz, Skoob, and the entire former Hit Squad family for bringing us such an historic classic.
A historic concert series curated by Grammy award-winning producer Salaam Remi, will open with an exclusive performance by Hip Hop legend Rakim on Saturday, April 22, 2023at Miami Beach Bandshell in Miami, FL. The Iconic Midnight at MuseZeuM concert series inspired by Remi’s newest creative venture, MuseZeuM.
MuseZeuM’s flagship gallery based in Miami’s Wynwood Arts District showcases fine art and limited-edition merch of renowned musical artists, created and curated by Remi himself.
“This Concert Series will be like no other with the Artist providing their musical art alongside artwork inspired by them. As a lifelong creative and huge fan and patron of the art world, this is a dream come true. It’s an honor to be able to create a space where icons and emerging artists will be able to collaborate and benefit from their works at the highest level. MuseZeuM will be the ongoing home for creatives to showcase their works. There is Much Much more to come , we are just beginning”
Highly regarded as one of the most prolific rappers of all time, Rakim is globally respected for his unique flow and complex rhymes. The show marks the icon’s long-awaited return to Miami, since his last performance in 2017.
For more MuseZeuM information including limited edition merchandise, ticket sales, and more, visit MuseZeuM.io.
According to several confirmed reports, the dealer who sold the fatal dose of the drug to The Wire actor Michael K. Williams has plead guilty to a a narcotics conspiracy charge.
Irvin “Green Eyes” Cartagena was originally charged with narcotics conspiracy resulting in death, which could’ve resulted in a life sentence, but he plead to a lesser charge that carries a sentence of 24 to 30 years behind bars.
“I knew my actions were wrong and against the law,” Cartagena said via an interpreter. “I am very sorry for my actions.”
“The reality is there are no winners here,” said Williams’s nephew Dominic Dupont. “Michael was an amazing human being and to lose him is something that we’re still grappling with. The grieving process continues for myself and for my family.”
Rapper Latto says she’s considering taking a mental health break from social media because commenters make her feel self-conscious about her looks.
The “Big Energy” rapper opened up social media heightens her insecurities in the premiere episode of her Apple Music show “777 Radio.”
The 24-year-old Rap Game star told her guest Chloe Bailey that internet trolls say she looks like an “old white woman.”
“It’s all because of social media,” Latto told Chloe. “It just, like you said, heightens your insecurities. I never thought I looked old until I read it on the internet. Now I just think I look like an old white woman.”
Latto, real name Alyssa Michelle Stephens, was born to a white mother and Black father.
She said trolls made fun of the way she sat in her chair at last year’s VMAs. Latto explained she was trying to avoid comments about her attire because she was wearing a corset. But when she went online, she saw people making lewd comments about her body.
“Next thing you know, I see things going around, ‘She looked like she about to have sex with the chair,’” she quoted one troll.
“I’m like, ‘Now, hold on. Wait a minute. I can’t just sit down?’ I’m like, ‘Now, I’m not even gyrating on the chair. I am sitting like this.’ I’m sitting like this looking forward.”
On Saturday, April 8th, the Foundation will host the spectacular event at Butler Park next to MLK Aquatic Center. The event will include games, food, face painting, balloon art, pictures with the Easter Bunny, and an egg hunt with over 30,000 eggs.
The Freewishes Foundation has partnered up with Restaurateur and Executive, William Platt’s The B.A.N.K Foundation (Blessings All Neighborhood Kids) and Pawkids to curate the event.
“Our goal with our annual community-wide event is to bring people from all walks of life together. It’s a great way for everyone to have fun, celebrate and strengthen bonds within the community,” said Future.
“The impact that Covid had on many communities is still felt today. Many communities drifted apart and are still trying to return to normalcy. FreeWishes will continue to create experiences that allow the community to connect and build healthy relationships with each other. After a very successful event last year, our foundation wanted to continue serving the community for Easter. This event is another way to tackle the health and wellness disparities plaguing our community. So much can be resolved by us coming together and doing activities. Kids need activities; as a community, we must step up. We service the community all year round with our various initiatives, but holidays have always been special for us,” said Freewishes Communuty Engagement Director, Tia Wilburn.
Released by Columbia Records, Nas’ third album, I Am, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album sold 470,000 copies in its first week and was certified double platinum in the United States. The album was nominated in 2000 for Best Rap Album at the 43rd Grammy Awards.
Originally intended to be a double album titled I Am…The Autobiography, the album was arguably Nas’ most honest and poetic project at the time. Although the additional tracks were scrapped due to bootlegging of the original sessions, the intention for the theme and tone of the project can still be felt on the released single-disc LP.
Nas’ cover art has always been an iconic staple of his work. Usually consisting of his face superimposed over his native Queens, each cover has served as a visual representation of Nas as an artist. Famed portrait photographer Danny Hastings shot this particular cover. To create the image of Nas’ face in the Pharaoh mask in a pre-Photoshop world, Hastings made a clay mold for Nas’ face (which, in fact, almost killed him when clay got lodged in his nostrils, nearly suffocating him).
This album wasn’t only popular in the United States. I Am… made appearances on music charts in Australia, Canada, Norway, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The two official singles from this project claimed spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “Nas Is Like..” peaked at #86, and “Hate Me Now” climbed a little higher to take the #62 spot.
After the release of this album, Nas released seven more solo albums and two collaborative projects. Nas continues to perform and is known as one of the most prolific rappers of his or any generation. Take some time today to listen to this album appreciate the career of a living legend.
